Franco Knew
by Hobsonfan
Summary: In Falling Darkness, Chapter 8, Franco prevents tragedy. Franco knew about Laura's feelings for Robbie. This is a sequence of chapters about the relationship between Franco/Laura/Robbie, starting shortly after Val died and continuing to the end of the Lewis episodes. Franco reveals his past, visits Laura, and makes observations about Robbie on his frequent trips to Oxford.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction, not for profit, story. I don't own these characters, just borrowing them from Lewis.**

Inspector Robbie Lewis was devastated by the recent death of his wife. He drank a bottle of brandy every night trying to dull the pain. Shortly after the funeral his son left for Australia and his daughter went back to school, so he usually drank at home, alone. Some nights he went to his local pub. On those occasions his sergeant or another police officer would make sure he got home safely.

One Friday evening Dr. Laura Hobson was having a drink with her new boyfriend Franco at the pub near her home. They were planning their winter holiday, a ski trip to Switzerland. Laura was surprised to see Robbie sitting alone at the bar, looking shaken and pale. This wasn't the pub he usually frequented. Tonight it appeared that no one from the force was there to look out for him. She told Franco that Robbie was a friend from work whose wife had died a short while ago, and she should check on him, take him home if necessary. Franco said of course, and he would help her. Laura went over to Robbie, put her hand on his shoulder, and spoke softly into his ear. Franco didn't hear what she said to him.

Robbie was uncharacteristically submissive and allowed Laura to drive him home in her car, with Franco following in his. They got Robbie inside and on the couch. Laura took off his jacket and shoes and put a pillow under his head. Franco brought Laura's medical kit in so she could check Robbie's vital signs. Laura gently put a thermometer under his tongue to measure his body temperature. After that she held his wrist a little longer than necessary to check his pulse. Then Laura carefully rolled up his sleeve so she could take his blood pressure. Franco thought Laura looked puzzled by the result and that must be why she took it again. After a few more minutes of listening to Robbie breathe and looking into his eyes with a torchlight Laura said she thought he was all right to be left alone to sleep for the rest of the night. As Robbie drifted off into a deep slumber, she called his sergeant and asked her to check on him in the morning. Finally she tucked Robbie in with a blanket, as he lay snoring.

Franco looked affectionately at Laura, thinking how she was both a good friend and a dutiful doctor, always looking after those who needed her. He saw her take one long, last look at Robbie Lewis before they left. This was the moment he realized that someday he would lose her, and why.

A year later when they were planning their next winter holiday, Laura told Franco that instead of a ski trip, she would like to go to the British Virgin Islands.


	2. Chapter 2

**I hadn't intended to write about the BVI trip until MHC1987 and some other nice folks suggested it. So I decided to have Laura and Franco take the trip and see what happened.**

**BVI Trip Part I **

Laura and Franco were on a plane headed to Puerto Rico where they would get a connecting flight to Tortola, Capital Island of the British Virgin Islands. Franco was a frequent flier, travelling often for business, and usually slept when the plane was in the air. Laura looked over at him, thinking about what a quiet sleeper he was, making no noise to bother any of the other passengers. She was too nervous to sleep, wondering what she was thinking, planning a trip to the island where Robbie Lewis had gone to make a start at getting over the death of his wife. As far as she knew Franco never thought about Robbie again after that night one year ago when they had helped him home from the pub. They never spoke about that night or Robbie. Laura hadn't told Franco why she wanted to go to the British Virgin Islands and he never asked. He must have thought it would be a good place to spend a week in the winter. Was it fair to Franco, being with him while she had unexplored feelings for Robbie? She and Franco had an easy, open relationship. They didn't place a lot of demands on each other, got together when it suited both of them but also had time apart. Laura didn't mind that Franco travelled a lot for his job and he understood Laura's demanding schedule. While she cared about him, she didn't feel that he was the one she was meant to be with forever. Laura hoped that she wasn't the love of his life because if so, someday he would surely be disappointed. She created a fantasy scenario in her head where Franco had an unobtainable love somewhere else and found Laura to be an agreeable substitute. Somehow that made it easier for her to justify being with him while she had this one-sided emotional affair with Robbie Lewis.

Laura had no intention of seeing Robbie while they were there. She just felt the need to be in the same physical location as him, breath the same air, see the same views. Why? She didn't understand this fascination she had with Robbie. They had been colleagues for several years, respected each other for their work ethic, bantered back and forth, and supported each other at crime scenes. She never thought of him as more than that until after his wife died. She liked, but wasn't attracted to, the Robbie that was married to Val. She was attracted to the Robbie who grieved for Val. He lost his innocence, became enigmatic and introspective. Laura knew that Robbie was not ready for an intimate relationship and maybe never would be. She did know that he needed a good friend and she resolved to be there for him. Even that would take time, and she would be patient with him. She was in essence having a relationship with him, one that she didn't think he knew about.

Laura and Franco checked into their hotel on the island of Tortola. She had done some research and found that there were eleven police stations in the British Virgin Islands, seven of them on the island of Tortola, so chances were that's where Robbie was stationed. Still not sure that this trip was a good idea, but unable to consider cancelling it at any point, she was about to run into an insurmountable obstacle. As they headed to their room, Laura saw newly retired Chief Superintendent Strange and his wife going the other way down the hall. What were they doing here? Laura thought back to his retirement party earlier in the week and remembered someone saying his wife was going to surprise Strange with a trip the next day to somewhere warm, where he could play golf and she could go to the beach. Why did it not occur to her that he would be coming here, and almost surely planning to visit Robbie? She certainly didn't want Strange telling Robbie she was here. She quickly calculated that the Stranges would have two days left of their weeklong trip. How was she going to avoid them? Well, she didn't play golf so wouldn't be seen by the Chief Superintendent on the links, but Mrs. Strange would likely recognize her on the beach.

Laura and Franco spent the next two days in their room until darkness fell each night, and then went out for an evening supper and a moonlit walk on the beach. Franco managed to avoid any business interruptions for those two days. On the second night, he told Laura that although he certainly didn't mind spending all day in the hotel room with her, they probably ought to get out some during the day and enjoy the sun. She agreed and said that the next day they would get up early and go to the beach. Before going to sleep that night Laura looked out from their balcony and saw a faraway lighthouse on the island of St. Thomas. The flashing yellow light in the distance was a symbol of hope, signifying that someday everything would work out the way it was supposed to. She was drawn to the safe harbor of that light each night for the rest of the trip.

Shortly after dawn the next morning, and much earlier than she hoped Mrs. Strange would be up, Laura and Franco headed for the beach. They walked for several minutes taking them much farther than Mrs. Strange would likely go, to find the right spot to spend the morning. While they enjoyed the warmth of the sun, Laura read a book, and Franco caught up on some work. Around noon when Franco walked down to the water for a swim, Laura took out her phone and called the hotel asking to be put through to Mrs. Strange. She was told that there was no longer anyone by that name staying there. Satisfied that she correctly calculated when the Stranges would leave, Laura breathed a sigh of relief.

The rest of that day and the next Laura and Franco took in some local sights and spent more time on the beach. Laura tried to forget about Robbie and concentrate on her relationship with Franco. They were having a nice dinner out when Franco apologized in advance, warning Laura that he was expecting a conference call later and it would disrupt their evening. She didn't mind, work interruptions were to be expected.

Before that happened though, there was a disruption of a different kind. A woman at a nearby table called out for help, her husband had become unresponsive right after complaining of severe chest pain. Laura immediately went to their table and quickly diagnosed that the man was having a heart attack. His wife had already called for an ambulance. Laura began CPR. After resuscitating him Laura stayed with him until the emergency medical team loaded him into the ambulance. A police officer had arrived at the same time as the ambulance and started asking questions about the incident. Laura could hear Franco telling the officer that his girlfriend was a doctor, a pathologist from Oxford, England. Before Franco could divulge more details she heard his phone ring with that business call. Franco stepped away from the officer, pointing at Laura saying she would be able to tell him what he needed to know.

The officer told Laura he would need a few more details for his report. She gave him the medical explanation of what happened, the man's symptoms and what she did. He said thank-you, there was just one more thing, and could he please have her name. Laura said she did not want any publicity; she was just glad the man was going to be all right. The officer said he would need her name for his report. He looked pleadingly at her, said he was a new recruit, still on probation, and the inspector in charge of training would not be very pleased with him if he neglected to get her name. Laura did not want the young man to get in trouble and she was fairly certain that his inspector would recognize her name. She took a deep breath, crossed her fingers and said, "Russell, Dr. Grayling Russell".


	3. Chapter 3

**BVI Trip Part II**

Inspector Robbie Lewis was reviewing an incident report from one of his newly trained officers. He was surprised to see that the name of the doctor who aided the heart attack victim was Dr. Grayling Russell from Oxford, England. His first thought was that if she was here in Tortola, he should go and see her, professional courtesy and all. Then he realized that he didn't really want to, he had gone away to avoid reminders of his past. He didn't want to have to explain to Dr. Russell that Val had died. Earlier in the week he had an obligatory dinner with Chief Superintendent Strange and his wife. He did that to be polite as he knew the Chief Super had made it possible for him to get this assignment. Robbie was glad that the Stranges didn't say too much about Val other than the usual condolences; he still had a difficult time talking about her. Instead they talked about Morse but even that was painful. There was only one person besides his daughter that he could talk to about Val and Morse and she, as far as he knew, was back in Oxford. So he decided he would not try and get in touch with Dr. Russell. He doubted she knew he was here so was not likely to feel slighted. It was then that he thought to wonder when Dr. Russell returned to Oxford. The last he knew she had gone to Canada. Had she gone back to her old job, and if so did that mean that Dr. Hobson had left? He broke out into a cold sweat. That thought was so unbearable that Robbie felt like someone who just watched the person in front of him take the last place in the lifeboat.

Robbie suffered from insomnia and every night instead of sleeping he walked on the beach. He always rested in the same spot, a place where he could see the lighthouse on St. Thomas. One of the few things that calmed him was that flashing light. After returning to it night after night he began to wonder if it was meant to be a sign, but of what and from who? It couldn't be from Val, she didn't like going to the sea, when she was a child she had nearly drowned in the ocean. He didn't think it was from Morse either. Morse would have made his message into some sort of puzzle. Then again, maybe his sleep deprived mind was just rambling. He liked to think about the light helping people to find their way safely. He wondered if others found this light as comforting as he did. How many souls had it kept from sinking into the ocean? In his case, it was a sea of sadness that engulfed him and made him feel like he was slipping away.

Back at work the next day Robbie again pulled out the report on the heart attack victim at the restaurant two nights ago. He kept staring at Dr. Russell's name on the report. Robbie called Dr. Angus Rawbone at the morgue in Oxford and asked if Dr. Grayling Russell had come back to work there, and if she took Dr. Hobson's place. Rawbone said no, Dr. Russell had not returned, Laura Hobson was still there, just away this week on holiday. He went back to the report. It cited the hotel where Dr. Russell was staying. (Laura had been busy talking with the ambulance attendant when Franco gave out that information, and was unaware that it was in the report.) Robbie changed his mind about seeing Dr. Russell and headed for the hotel.

Laura and Franco were in cab just leaving the hotel and heading to the airport. Laura was so relieved when Franco told her that he was going to have to return to Oxford a day early because of a business emergency. She couldn't get out of there fast enough. What was she thinking, lying to a police officer, providing a false name? Never mind that she should not have gone to Tortola with Franco in the first place. She closed her eyes in the cab trying to erase the memory of the entire trip. The moment she saw Chief Superintendent Strange Laura realized that she couldn't be Robbie's anonymous shadow. Any relationship she had with him would have to be open and honest. And it would have to develop slowly, very slowly. Laura would offer friendship only for now. She always thought of herself as a mature, professional woman. Why was it so difficult to act like one? She usually solved problems by analyzing data and deducing the solution. That did not work with matters of the heart. Then she realized that she spent all her time thinking about Robbie, instead of the man she was in a relationship with. She would need to do something about that too. She wondered how much it would hurt Franco if he knew about her feelings for Robbie. Thinking that she wasn't being fair to Franco made her even sadder.

Franco was looking out the window of the cab. He saw Robbie Lewis walking towards the entrance of the hotel. He should have been shocked but he wasn't. Had Laura wanted to come to the British Virgin Islands because she knew Lewis was here or did she find out he was here and that's why she seemed so relieved to be leaving early? He thought he knew and decided he would push things a bit when they got home. This time on the plane, Franco only pretended to be asleep, instead he was thinking that Laura would have to agree to leave Oxford with him if there was any chance for them to have a permanent relationship.

When they got home Franco told Laura his firm wanted him to relocate back to Germany. He asked her if she would go with him, make a life there. Laura told him as gently as she could, that her life was in Oxford, and that she wouldn't be able to go with him. Franco said he understood; he knew that Oxford was important to her. They parted amicably and agreed to meet up as friends whenever Franco was in Oxford for business. Unlike most couples who say this when they break up, Franco and Laura would see each other several times over the next few years, and not always just as friends.

When Laura went back to work after the BVI trip, Angus Rawbone told her that Inspector Lewis had called the morgue asking if Dr. Russell had replaced Dr. Hobson. Why would he have thought that, he asked her?

Several years later, the flame in the lighthouse on St. Thomas was permanently extinguished because it was no longer needed. Before that happened though, Franco would try to keep his own light burning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Reputation- Franco's firm is an investor in Griffon Motors; Inspector Lewis returns to Oxford**

Since their break up after returning from the British Virgin Islands several months before, Laura and Franco had exchanged polite email messages a few times, with updates about work and casual inquiries about each other's lives. His latest message said that he would be coming to Oxford in a few weeks on business and would she like to meet for a lunch. She said yes, thinking friends have lunch, dinner meant something else. Laura had managed to stop fixating on Robbie Lewis since her trip to the British Virgin Islands. Her uncharacteristically reckless behavior scared Laura. Being in a relationship with someone should bring out your best qualities, not your worst. Laura thought about getting back together with Franco, although she still could not see herself moving to Germany and that had nothing to do with Robbie Lewis. She was happy with her life in Oxford and proud of her work.

The idea of having a long distance relationship with Franco appealed to her in many ways. She was fond of him; they had many shared interests, and she enjoyed time on her own too. And maybe this time she would be able to forget about Robbie Lewis. That was an infatuation, and didn't likely have the potential to be anything more. Just as Laura was congratulating herself on making a start of getting back to her usual controlled self, she picked up her mail. She quickly flipped through the envelopes, then stopped and stared at a postcard of a beach from the British Virgin Islands with the message, "am going to stop wandering about and return to Oxford very soon", signed Robbie Lewis. She looked at the beach scene again and realized that there was a lighthouse on the horizon where the water met the sky. That was all it took for her to completely abandon her plans to forget about Robbie Lewis.

A few weeks later Laura and Franco went out to lunch and chatted amicably. Franco said that his firm was an investor in Griffon Motors and he was here to take part in the negotiations with a Japanese group that was planning to provide a cash infusion to the company. Laura told him about the changes she had made in her garden, some new varieties of roses she was trying. Franco thought that Laura seemed especially cheerful and uncharacteristically did not talk about work. They parted after lunch with the promise to meet again soon. Laura hadn't talked about work because just that morning she had seen Robbie for the first time since his return to Oxford; they worked together at a crime scene and both were genuinely happy to see the other.

The next day Franco met with Rex Griffon and the Japanese investors. Their meeting was interrupted by a visit from the police. Rex tried to keep the investors out of what was happening. They were able to ascertain that members of the Griffon family were somehow involved in a murder investigation. Franco heard someone tell Tom Pollack, the financial director at Griffon Motors, that Inspector Lewis wanted a word with him. That explained Laura's good mood at lunch yesterday, he thought; Robbie Lewis was back in Oxford.

A few days later Franco saw Lewis talking with a blond woman at the Magdalen Bridge. It looked like a personal not a professional interaction. Franco wasn't sure whether he was happy that Lewis may have a woman in his life that wasn't Laura, or sad for Laura if he did. Time will tell, he figured.

**Expiation-Dr. Cook fills in for Dr. Hobson**

Several months later on his next trip to Oxford Franco asked Laura if she could get an afternoon and evening off to go to a concert at one of the colleges. His firm was sponsoring the event and there was going to be a reception afterward. Franco thought she would enjoy the concert; it was being conducted by Sir Arnold Raeburn, "the grand old man of English music". Laura wanted to go but unfortunately Dr. Rawbone would not be able to cover for her at work; that would be left to Dr. Cook. Franco thought Laura seemed unusually stressed that day and didn't really enjoy herself. He was relieved to find out that at least it wasn't Robbie Lewis dominating her thoughts this time but Dr. Cook, who she described as "a complete ninny and outstandingly crap at his job". Franco commiserated with her about that and told Laura he didn't like to delegate either.

A few days later Laura called Franco to say she was remiss in not thanking him for taking her to the concert. She had enjoyed it but her fears were realized when she returned to work and found that Dr. Cook had ruled suicide in a case that was clearly murder. That evening Franco saw Robbie Lewis having dinner with a woman at a restaurant on the Banbury Rd. Lewis said something to the woman that made her cry and they cut the evening short. So, Franco thought, he's out with another woman that's not Laura. He still had mixed feelings about that. Franco wouldn't see Laura again on this trip although he knew there was a special occasion coming up and he planned to return to Oxford for that.

**And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea-Laura has a special day**

Laura Hobson was having a party. Most of the other invitees were doctors and nurses, friends made during her years of medical study and work. There were two men to whom she issued the invitation in person. "It's a special sort of birthday", and added "Oh, if you'd like to bring anybody". She was hoping Franco would bring a date, that he had found someone to take her place in his life. When Robbie Lewis said he didn't really have anyone to bring she was happy about that, and hoped that instead of trying to find someone he would take her suggestion and bring the "dishy" Sergeant Hathaway.

Franco arrived alone, before the party started. He presented Laura with a rosebush for her garden and then helped greet guests and replenish the food and drink. After the birthday cake was brought out, he saw Robbie wish Laura a Happy Birthday and kiss her on the cheek. Franco noticed how Laura seemed to enjoy brushing the lipstick off his cheek with her hand. Then after a brief conversation with Laura, Lewis went out to the garden and wasn't seen at the party again. A little while later, Franco heard a couple of the other guests joking that since the police inspector and his "date" had left, they could have some real fun. Franco had not seen Lewis with a date. Was it a different woman, or one of the ones he had seen him with before? He wondered if Laura had seen his date and if it upset her. He stayed until the end of the party, chatting with a group of doctors, keeping Laura in his line of sight as much as possible. Well past midnight when the last guests had left, Franco asked if there was anything he could do to help her put the house back in order. Laura said no, that could wait. Then she surprised Franco by asking him to stay the night, saying that she did not want to be alone on her birthday. They were both a bit too drunk and lonely to worry that each might be taking advantage of the other. And neither one thought about Robbie Lewis anymore that night. In the morning they had no regrets but they parted again as just friends.

Franco went back to Germany, already planning his next trip to Oxford.


	5. Chapter 5

**Music to Die For-Franco has information for Richard Helm.**

Franco was in Oxford to sign a contract with a software company. His firm was having a party to celebrate their success and he invited Laura to go with him, to thank her for inviting him to her birthday party. Laura surprised him by saying it would be nice to have a night out with no doctors or policemen. She did warn Franco that she was on call. Laura was enjoying the party, the food and wine were excellent, and she met some very interesting people who worked with Franco. She had always thought that business matters were boring but she learned how firms won contracts by operating like spy agencies, keeping their products secret and not making their intentions to bid public knowledge until the last minute. The bidder's documents for this contract were packed in a large crate and Franco and another executive dressed as delivery people to submit it. This act deceived the competing firm into thinking they were the only bidder as the crate appeared to contain office equipment. The competitor had two bids ready and once they were sure Franco's firm was not bidding, they submitted the one with the higher price. Franco's firm was awarded the contract as their bid was lower. Laura found this very interesting as she never thought of Franco as the cloak and dagger type.

Laura's beeper went off; she told Franco, "Duty calls". He offered to drive her to the crime scene so she wouldn't have to go home to get her car. They got in his car and she gave him the address, 38 Munster Road. Franco had to steady his hands on the wheel. He knew that address; he had been there just three days ago to talk to Richard Helm. Franco was quiet as he drove Laura to Helm's house. As they neared the address he saw police cars and a van. Laura said to stop there; she would walk to the van and prepare for the crime scene. Franco said he would park the car and wait for her. She said if it took too long she would understand if he left; she would get someone to give her a lift home. Franco didn't tell Laura but he planned to wait however long it took. He watched her walk to the police van, don a white crime scene suit, take a medical kit and go into the house.

Franco had information for Richard Helm, the man who lived there, and it was the kind of information that had to be delivered in person. Phone calls, messages, mail, and email could all be intercepted. He spoke with Helm whom he hadn't seen in 25 years. Richard Helm was a childhood acquaintance, a few years younger than Franco. Their fathers were both professors at Leipzig University. Helm's father was an expert on Wagner, while Franco's father was a scientist. Both men died while in custody of the Stasi, Ministerium fur Staatssicherheit (Ministry for State Security), otherwise known as the East German Secret Police. The Stasi existed to identify and punish enemies of the Socialist Unity Party, those who did not conform to, or spoke out against the dictates of the government. The Stasi relied heavily on informants. Teenaged informers were rewarded with hard to get Western goods, while adults were given access to better apartments, and moved up on the waiting list to get a car, and some were paid cash. Some people provided information to protect themselves or their families. Much of the information seemed to be of no importance such as what someone ate for breakfast or how long they took to shower. You had to be careful which books you took out of the library and what you purchased at the store as the Stasi might find or invent something suspicious about it. In East Germany you could be punished if the Stasi said you were thinking about committing a crime.

As a boy, Franco was told by his parents not to trust anyone; informers were everywhere. They could be your neighbors, doctors, teachers, clergy, friends, coworkers, even family. He trusted only his parents and his brother until one day he and his friend Nadine shared their secret thoughts about wanting a better life and escaping to the west. Franco and Nadine were childhood friends who watched their parents conform to the rules of the state to keep their children safe. They both had some resentment for their parents for not leaving East Germany in the early years after World War II when it was easier to do so. Both had dreams of travelling the world and being successful; Nadine wanted to be a doctor and Franco wanted to be an entrepreneur. To be successful in East Germany, you had to make a pact with the devil, sell your soul as an informer or perform other unconscionable acts. Or your parents had to do it for you, and their parents were decent people who couldn't do that. So they began to plan an escape to West Germany. Just talking about it was a crime but Franco was sure he could trust Nadine. Franco's older brother became a conscientious objector when it came time for him to do his national service. Doing so could result in a jail sentence or being expelled from the country. His brother took his chance and won. He was expelled and went to live with relatives in the West. Franco would not have that option; the government would not tolerate that from a second member of the same family. And unlike his brother, Franco was a top student. He scored the highest marks in all of his classes. The government would not want to lose someone with Franco's potential.

Franco had spent the last twenty years looking for Nadine. They had planned to escape to the West together but after all of their planning she did not show up at the appointed time and place. Knowing that even a second's hesitation would jeopardize the safety of the group, he went ahead without her. After the fall of the iron curtain when records became available Franco spent a lot of time searching through them trying to find her. He hired a private investigator to help. It was during this investigation that he found information not about Nadine, but about someone else from his past, someone connected to the fathers of both Franco and Richard Helm. This was what he went to talk to Richard Helm about. Franco told him who the Stasi informer was that provided information that led to the arrests of both of their fathers. Richard and his mother were told that his father, Magnus Helm, died of pneumonia in custody, while Franco and his mother were never told the official cause of death of his father. Magnus Helm was accused of providing information to an English police officer while Franco's father was accused of exchanging bomb-making plans with an American private detective. Franco's private investigator discovered the identity of the person know as "Siegfried" who informed on both men. He told Helm who the informer was. Helm told Franco he was wrong, that Siegfried's identity was still unknown. Franco warned him to be careful, new technology was making it possible to speed up the disclosure of Stasi records and this was making a lot of people nervous.

Franco thought about all of this while he waited for Laura, who was inside Richard Helm's house examining a corpse. Laura worked quickly diagnosing that the man, R.G. Cole, a friend of Richard Helm, had been strangled. Over the last few months she and Robbie had started verbally sparring with each other at crime scenes, the way she had with Chief Inspector Morse. Laura didn't mind, she was over her infatuation with Robbie and thought this might be a way to strengthen their friendship. On a previous case after Laura provided him with vital evidence of murder at the morgue, Robbie said, "Doctor, you bring me all this because you secretly love me". Laura rose to the occasion and remarked back, "If I bring you anything at all Lewis, you cocky sod, it's because I secretly love Hathaway." Tonight over the body of R.G. Cole, Robbie said "you didn't have to get all dolled up for me" to which Laura said to Hathaway, "that was a pickup line in Lewis' day". Then Robbie said "judging by the state of his neck, I'd say he was strangled", and Laura replied "oh great you obviously don't need me so I can go back to the party I was enjoying"; and later, "it isn't easy to strangle a man, believe me I've tried". Both of them thought of Morse during these exchanges and they laid the groundwork for easy communication between the two; soon they would be finishing each other's sentences.

When she was finished Laura walked back to Franco's car and got in. He didn't want to ask her for information about the crime scene even though he was anxious to learn the fate of Richard Helm. So all he said was that it didn't take as long as he expected. Laura said what she knew would soon be public knowledge, that it was a pretty straightforward case; a visitor to the home was strangled. Franco said a silent prayer of thanks. He had decided that if it was Richard Helm who was murdered that he would have to tell the police about his visit there three days ago. He grew up not trusting the police and even though now he was in a different time and place, it was difficult to leave that fear in the past. Now perhaps he wouldn't have to deal with the police. The man that was killed may have had nothing to do with East Germany and the Stasi.

The next night Franco took a couple of clients to the new Portabello Club. That's where he saw her. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Annelise Fisher, Stasi informer. She was talking to a young woman that was the spitting image of Annelise at age 18; it must be her daughter, he thought. One of his clients saw him staring at her and told him that she was Ann Kriel, a prominent human rights activist. Franco thought of a line from Hamlet, "One may smile, and smile, and yet be a villain". He must talk to Richard Helm again. Then he wondered if Annelise recognized him. She had told him years ago that it was Nadine who betrayed his father, stole a letter from his study and gave it to the Stasi. He had wanted to kill Annelise then and was afraid of what he might do if he confronted her now.

Later that night, Franco went to see Richard Helm. He told him that he saw Annelise Fisher, and where. Richard said that he had been to the Portabello Club and didn't see her. Franco warned him that she may have seen and recognized him. He had already warned Helm's mother, Walli, who remembered Franco as a bright young man who disappeared. She was glad to find out that he had safely escaped to the West and had a good life. As the survivors of Magnus Helm they would soon be getting damning evidence against Annelise Fisher. She may call herself Ann Kriel and be a human rights activist but it didn't change her past. Franco told Richard Helm he thought the murder of R.G. Cole may have been a case of mistaken identity. Helm insisted that R.G. was killed because he disturbed a burglar. Before he left, Franco urged Richard to reconcile with his mother.

Franco called Laura the next day. He hadn't had a chance to ask her about her garden the night of the party. She told him she took his advice and put Epsom Salts on the roses and the stems were stronger and the colors more vibrant. Franco said he was going to be very busy the next few days but hoped they could meet before he went back to Germany. He decided not to tell Laura about his possible connection with the murder on 38 Munster Road, still hoping to avoid any encounter with the police. And knowing Laura, if he told her about the Stasi connection she would want to find out more and that could be dangerous.

Franco went to the Portabello Club again, this time incognito, as he wanted to observe Annelise Fisher before deciding on his next move. He saw her having dinner with Inspector Robbie Lewis. Franco had seen Lewis out with women before and hadn't said anything to Laura, but this wasn't just any woman. Franco was going to have to tell Laura about his past, the Stasi, and the current danger. He couldn't count on Inspector Robbie Lewis to protect her. Not for the first time Franco thought that Lewis had terrible taste in women. And now he was really sure that he did want to talk to the police about the murder at 38 Munster Road.

Franco checked in with Laura over the next few days and was relieved to find she was quite busy at work and wasn't likely to be spending time with Robbie Lewis or going to the Portabello Club. They made plans to meet up for coffee.

Richard Helm went to the Portabello Club and spoke with Ann Kriel, formerly known as Annelise Fisher. After that things moved rapidly towards a conclusion. Ann Kriel went for a ride with Richard Helm on his boat, the Lady Slipper. While opening a lock she tried to kill him, and instead fell to her death. Inspector Lewis found that Ann Kriel had hired her employee Ryan Gallen to murder Richard Helm and he mistakenly killed R.G. Cole, and Ann Kriel pushed Milo Hardy to his death because he found out that she was Siegfried, the informer who caused Magnus Helm to be arrested by the Stasi. What Lewis couldn't figure out was how Richard Helm came to know that Annelise Fisher was Ann Kriel, as he hadn't recognized her when he saw her the night R.G. Cole was murdered.

Franco had coffee with Laura and told her about his connection with Richard Helm and his childhood in East Germany and why he did not trust the police, making him reluctant to say anything earlier about going to see Richard Helm. Franco asked Laura if she thought he should turn himself in now and give information. Not wanting Franco to have to go through that, Laura told him that the case was solved and the information he had wouldn't change anything. She asked him more about his past, including his escape to the West. Franco told her that he and Nadine planned to escape in a hot air balloon. They spent 7 years slowly accumulating the materials they needed so as to not attract attention. The Stasi kept watch for people buying products that could be used for an escape. A neighbor figured out what they were doing. He didn't turn them in; instead he asked if they would take his family with them when the time came. They agreed to take Mr. and Mrs. Mertens and their two daughters with them.

Franco had calculated the route factoring in the mountains, distance to the border, and a safe landing spot. Relying on the weather forecast 48 hours in advance a departure time was chosen. It was agreed that they would leave on time, whether or not everyone had arrived. Franco arrived first, then the Mertens family. Mr. Mertens helped him get the balloon out of hiding. Nadine did not appear. The seed of doubt planted by Annelise Fisher began to grow inside him as he feared she had betrayed them. If she had betrayed them he didn't want to live so Franco decided there was no turning back now and went ahead with the plan. The balloon took off and Franco guided it across the border. None of the adults looked back toward the east. The children were silent during the entire journey. Franco found out later that the parents had drugged them fearing they would make noise and attract attention. The mission was a success; they landed in the West. Franco's first thoughts in freedom were of Nadine; rather than betray them he suspected she had sacrificed herself to let the others go free.

West German authorities reunited Franco with his brother. Franco and the Mertens asked that their escape not be publicized in order to protect Nadine and their relatives left in East Germany. Franco spent years trying to find out what happened to Nadine. All of his searching had only led him to Annelise Fisher. Richard Helm told him that he had heard that Nadine was dead. Franco didn't believe it; he would keep searching.

Laura listened carefully to all of this. She remembered thinking earlier that Franco wasn't the cloak and dagger type. She couldn't have got that more wrong. Laura was saddened to find out that Franco's mother died before the iron curtain was lifted so he never saw her again. Franco told her his love of gardening came from his father. His father corresponded with an American private detective who was also an avid horticulturist. A couple of their letters contained information about fertilizer. One of these letters was stolen by Annelise Fisher (Franco still refused to call her Ann Kriel) and given to the Stasi. As fertilizer can be used to make bombs, Franco's father was accused of being a terrorist. Stasi officers were rewarded for solving these kinds of crimes so they often invented them.

Laura invited Franco to come over the next evening to sit in her garden and talk some more. They didn't really talk much; they just sat and enjoyed the flowers. That night Laura didn't think about Robbie, and Franco didn't think about Nadine.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Great and the Good-Franco needs Laura's help to protect Robbie**

Franco's firm considered investing into Lord Danny Adebayou's project, The new Blenheim, a carbon neutral, self sustaining city that would be built over the next 12 years. Franco reviewed the prospectus, and did some research. He doubted the legitimacy of some of early investors and recommended that his firm avoid the venture. His firm trusted him in these matters and they passed on the opportunity to invest. Lord Adebayou, knowing that it was Franco's influence that caused the firm to decline to invest, went to Oswald Cooper and asked him if he had any information that would make Franco more agreeable to the project. Cooper had previously looked into Franco's past when he was denied an IT job at Franco's firm. Franco found that not only were his IT skills lacking, Oswald Cooper had rather vague and evasive answers to the interview questions that showed he was lacking in character and moral judgment. So Cooper went looking into Franco's past and found his weak spot.

Oswald Cooper sent Franco a letter saying that he had information about Nadine, Franco's childhood friend who went missing the day they planned to escape from East Germany. Franco had spent 20 years looking for her. Cooper's letter told Franco "Never stop looking." Franco didn't know that Inspector Robbie Lewis would soon receive a similar letter from Cooper. Based on what he thought about the man's skills and character, Franco doubted whether Oswald Cooper actually had any important information about Nadine. He was curious enough to want to take a secret look at Cooper's files. Franco went to scout out Cooper's operational hub located across the street from his home. He made sure to go when he knew Cooper would be at work. Franco made note of the type of lock on the door.

Franco had no intention of reversing his firm's decision on the New Blenheim project in exchange for information about Nadine. Professional ethics aside, Franco doubted that Cooper would be able to get information that he and his private detective could not. Franco told Cooper he would come to his house to meet with him late one evening. When Franco arrived the door was open, and there was a trail of blood leading down the front steps. Franco made sure not to step in the blood and stood in the doorway looking in. Just inside the door was a key hanging on a hook. Franco saw that the key was of the same brand as the lock on the building across the street that he had surveyed earlier. He carefully reached inside, touched nothing but the key itself taking it off the hook, and put it in his pocket. Franco then left taking care again not to step in any blood. The street was deserted and he doubted anyone had seen him. He did not go to the building across the street that night as he was afraid the police would soon be coming to Oswald Cooper's house.

The next day Franco read about the murder of Oswald Cooper in the paper. He must have been successful in leaving no trace of his visit to Cooper's house on the night of the murder as he was not contacted by the police. The closest the police got to Franco was an entry in Cooper's diary, a meeting with "F". Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway thought that "F" referred to Frank Sporetti, a man with a grudge against Danny Adebayou who would also later be murdered. When the police presence at Cooper's house was gone, Franco went to the building across the street and tried the key. It opened the door and he was now inside Cooper's operational hub for the fraudulent schemes he was involved in. Franco did a quick search of the paper files, and then went to one of the computers. There he found his file with alleged information about Nadine. He made himself a copy of the file. Then something drew him back to the paper files in a drawer. In his quick search he saw a name that warranted a second look. Yes, there it was, Valerie Lewis, wife of Detective Inspector Robbie Lewis. Franco read through the notes in the file. The details were tragic. He knew that Mrs. Lewis was killed by a hit and run driver but reading this account made the events even worse, if that were possible. If this is accurate information, Inspector Lewis deserves to have it, even if it is painful. Franco had doubts about its authenticity though since the file was compiled by Oswald Cooper. He would investigate further before turning this over. Even though he wasn't sure that he liked Lewis much, he didn't want him to suffer needlessly. If this was true, it would be painful to hear, but if not true, then he wanted to spare the man further grief.

Cooper's report said that Valerie Lewis suffered greatly before she died. And it said that had the driver stopped and called for emergency services right away Valerie Lewis wouldn't have died. Franco thought about how painful it would be for Lewis to read that. The driver was alleged to be a teenager high on drugs. And conveniently the teen was found dead a few days later so there would be no interviewing him. Franco called his private detective to help him authenticate or discredit the report. His detective checked out the alleged drug addicted teenage driver. Franco hacked into the hospital and National Health Service websites (government websites were so easy to hack into!) to get the medical records of Valerie Lewis. Then he got access to the police file on the accident that killed her. He brought the information to Laura and asked her to compare it to Oswald's information. Franco had deleted the name of the deceased, her date of birth, and the date of the accident. Laura reviewed the information and said that the injuries did not match the report from Cooper. She said it looked like someone did some research on the internet to get the medical terms. It was plausible until the part about the delay in getting medical attention causing the death. Laura said the woman would have been dead on impact and did not suffer. This report was created to cause suffering to the survivors. Then Laura shuddered and told Franco that she thought she might know who the woman was. Franco told her she did know, that he did not tell her before she reviewed the information so that she could look at it objectively. He said that he knew that she cared about Valerie Lewis' grieving husband. Laura looked at Franco with gratitude, first that he would want to prevent Robbie from suffering the pain of reading this false report, and second that he knew about her feelings for Robbie (and she now guessed that he had known this for awhile) and seemed to accept it without being angry. Franco told Laura that he understood what it felt like to care about someone who couldn't reciprocate. Nadine and Robbie Lewis were unavailable, one physically, the other emotionally. Laura and Franco wondered if this shared angst was what kept sending them back to each other. Franco thanked Laura for helping him understand the medical information in Oswald's report.

Laura remembered that Franco had said he found the information about Valerie Lewis when he was looking for Cooper's file on Nadine. Before she could ask, Franco told her that Cooper had a file on Nadine. Some of the facts about Nadine were true, Franco could verify them. All of Cooper's files would have some actual truth at the beginning to seem believable to the recipients. Then he would add the painful parts to the file and most of these were fictitious. The file on Nadine hinted that she was alive and in trouble. Franco figured this was how Cooper planned to get him under his influence. Laura told Franco she was sorry he did not get the answers he was looking for. Then she thanked him for saving Robbie from the pain of reading that false report on Val. After what she had learned about Franco and his escape from East Germany, Laura wasn't surprised that Franco was capable of this act of reconnaissance which included surveillance, breaking and entering, and computer hacking, all without leaving a trace of his involvement. Franco told her he would destroy all of Cooper's information about Valerie Lewis. Neither of them would ever speak of it again.

Laura and Franco both experienced a wide range of emotions that night and decided it wasn't the time to examine their relationship with each other. They agreed to meet up the next time Franco was in Oxford.

Inspector Robbie Lewis went to Cooper's operational hub that night convinced that he would find information about his wife. Sergeant Hathaway joined him. They did not find anything about Valerie Lewis.


	7. Chapter 7

**Allegory of Love-Franco Goes to the Boxlands Book Launch **

Franco was in Oxford to represent his firm at the book launch reception for Boxlands, a historical fantasy by Dorian Crane. The firm was considering buying the merchandising rights to collectible action figures of characters in the book. Franco himself preferred The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis. He wasn't expecting to find the Boxlands project viable. He did find Inspector Robbie Lewis out with another woman at the book launch at The Randolph. This woman had dark hair and was wearing a blue dress. She seemed to be bossing Lewis around quite a bit, Franco observed. His firm turned down the Boxlands deal. Franco and Laura didn't have a chance to meet up this time due to their work schedules.

**Counter Culture Blues-Franco Remembers Esme Ford**

On his next trip to Oxford Franco had to go to Slough for a meeting with executives from a giant software company. He saw a woman cleaner in the hallway that reminded him of the rock star Esme Ford. She looks so much like Esme Ford she could be her sister, he thought. Someone who didn't know better could mistake her for the real Esme Ford. A Midnight Addiction album with Esme Ford, Ritchie and Mack Maguire, and Franco (he enjoyed having a famous namesake) was one of the first things he bought after his escape from East Germany.

**The Dead of Winter-Franco Gives Good advice **

Laura and Franco finally had time to catch up over coffee one afternoon. Laura was telling Franco about the grisly Lewinsky case. They both sat quietly for a few minutes reflecting on the tragedy. Franco said things like that made his business troubles seem unimportant. His firm was currently having some human resource problems. A phone call interrupted them. Laura didn't realize she was listening to Franco counsel one of his employees until she heard him say "people don't know how you feel…unless you tell them". Yes, she thought, that is very good advice.

Franco continued with his call and Laura went to the Ladies. While waiting for Laura after his call ended, Franco saw that she left her mobile on the table. It started ringing; the caller id said Mary Gwilliam. When she got back Laura saw that she had a message on her phone. She played the message and told Franco that the caller must have got hold of the wrong Laura Hobson; she did not know a Mary Gwilliam. Franco had a feeling that the name Mary Gwilliam meant something. He made note of the name and the date, March 17th. Laura went to get refills for their coffees. Franco took that opportunity to get Mary Gwilliam's phone number from Laura's mobile. She returned with their coffees, picked up her phone and deleted the message from Mary Gwilliam. Later Franco ran a background check on Mary Gwilliam. He found that she was a nurse who used to work at Holmwood Park Hospital. She was involved with putting babies up for adoption. Franco was sure that Laura had never put a baby up for adoption so he wondered if the woman really did get the wrong Laura Hobson.

**Your Sudden Death Question-Franco Goes to the Opera**

Franco was back in Oxford working right up to the Saturday of the bank holiday weekend. At the last minute he found 2 tickets available for the Fairy Queen in Glyndebourne. He called Laura to see if she could go with him; there was just enough time to get there. Laura said she was sorry; she couldn't go because of work. Franco's colleagues were all busy so he ended up going with his private detective friend Dave, who happened to be in Oxford that week. While sitting in his seat for the performance of the Fairy Queen, Franco couldn't help but wish that Laura was in the one next to him. That should be her seat, he thought. Franco went back to Germany hoping that on his next visit he and Laura would have time to talk.

**Franco will come back to Oxford in time to play a major role in Falling Darkness.**


	8. Chapter 8: Falling Darkness

**Falling Darkness-Franco is Laura's Guardian Angel **

On Halloween night Dr. Laura Hobson was at the morgue waiting for late arrivals from a pileup on the highway. When her friend Dr. Ellen Jacoby called to say she was stuck in traffic and would be late for dinner Laura said not to worry, she would also be late. "Denn die Toten reiten schnell " she said to Ellen. Laura had taken German in school and sometimes she and Franco spoke to each other in German so she could keep in practice. Laura ended up very late for dinner with Ellen as she first went to the crime scene where Ligeia Willard was murdered. After recovering from the shock of finding that her friend was the corpse at the crime scene she responded to, Laura went to meet Ellen at the restaurant. Ellen was shocked to hear the news that Ligeia would not be joining them for dinner because she had been murdered.

When Laura got home from the Turl Club with Ellen (she had invited Ellen to stay at her house) she called Franco to tell him about Ligeia. Franco had met both Ligeia and Ellen and he heard stories about the two lads that lived with them while in College. He was polite because they were Laura's friends but he felt there was something evasive about them. Franco thought they may be keeping secrets from Laura. He grew up in an environment where knowing who to trust was essential to your survival so he was a good judge of character. Franco told Laura that he was sorry she had to see her friend at a crime scene like that and asked if he could stop by to see her in the morning before work, to make sure she was all right. She said that would be nice, and that she would likely be going in to work late.

The next morning when Franco got to Laura's house he saw a blue car parked out front. He went to the front door and knocked. The door was opened by Ellen Jacoby. When Franco asked to see Laura, Ellen told him that she was busy talking with Robbie Lewis and practically shut the door in his face. Ellen must be a Robson shipper, Franco laughed to himself. When he called her later Laura told him that she thought that the murder might have something to do with Ligeia's work. Franco hoped Laura was right as he was worried that she might be in danger.

After the murder the next night of a student living in the house on Nethermoor that Laura had shared with Ligeia, Ellen, and the two lads, Alec Pickman and Peter Hawkins, Franco became even more fearful of Laura's safety. Laura called him and said that she didn't think she was in any danger but felt she was considered a suspect in the two murders. Franco told her that he would do some investigating as he did not trust the police. Over the next couple of days he tried to think of anything unusual that had happened to Laura or anything odd that was said to or about her, especially relating to Ligeia Willard or their time as flatmates. Then he read about the murder of Mary Gwilliam in the paper. The phone call to Laura from Mary Gwilliam 6 months ago came to mind and he thought her murder now was too much of a coincidence. He wasn't sure how but he thought she must be related to the murders of Ligeia Willard and the girl at Laura's former home. Franco called Dave, his private investigator, to help with the inquiries.

Ellen Jacoby was still staying at Laura's house. One evening after Laura had gone to bed early Ellen went to visit Alec Pickman. Franco was on his way to Laura's house to check on her. He saw Ellen leave the house and decided to follow her as she made her way down to Alec Pickman's boat. Franco saw someone attack Ellen Jacoby and he ran towards them yelling, scaring away the assailant. Ellen had a severe blow to the head. Franco used her scarf to stop the bleeding and then took Ellen's mobile to call for an ambulance. Alec Pickman heard the screaming from his boat and staggered toward them. In his drunken stupor he never even noticed Franco. Pickman told the police he didn't see anyone else on the towpath. After he saw Ellen go off in the ambulance Franco called to update Dave on this recent attack and they made plans to meet up later. Just as he was going to call Laura, his phone rang. It was Laura calling to tell him about the attack on Ellen. A colleague had heard about Dr. Jacoby on the police scanner and called her because they knew Laura was Ellen's friend. Laura said she was going to the hospital to see Ellen. Franco told Laura to be careful that she might be in danger and to make sure someone walked her to her car when she left the hospital. She told him that there would be police officers at the hospital. Franco went to Laura's house to wait for her to come home. Laura said that Inspector Lewis had walked her to her car. Franco thought it was odd that she referred to him as "Inspector" instead of "Robbie". Lewis must be treating her like a suspect, he thought.

Later that night Franco and Dave started checking into the backgrounds of Ligeia Willard and Ellen Jacoby, and to a lesser extent Alec Pickman and Peter Hawkins. Then they looked into Mary Gwilliam's career as a nurse and wondered if any of the students had been hospitalized at Holmwood while Mary Gwilliam worked there. The search led them to the admission records at the abandoned Holmwood Hospital. Closed now for many years, it had served both psychiatric and maternity patients. That's where in the early hours of the morning, they found that "Hobson, L" was listed as the mother of twins, a boy and a girl, born on 17-3-86 and 18-3-86. The admission record for Laura Hobson on 16-3-86 had her date of birth recorded as 18-4-65. Franco knew that wasn't Laura's birth date, she was a Sagittarius, and he had celebrated her birthday with her many times. He guessed that either Ellen Jacoby or Ligeia Willard was the real mother of the twins. Franco and Dave left the hospital records room minutes before the police arrived to do their own search. Dave found that Mary Gwilliam had helped get the twins adopted by different families and then followed separate trails that led them back together to their current whereabouts. Franco was horrified to learn that the brother and sister were living together on Nethermoor as a married couple with a baby. Franco had an uneasy feeling about the twins, now called Vince and Charlotte Corwin. He and Dave went to their house, next to the one where Laura had lived in as a student. No one was home. They questioned some of the neighbors about the Corwins. Most said they didn't know them. One woman said that she thought there was something very odd about their baby.

Franco planned to go see Laura while Dave would try to locate the twins. Franco called Laura and said he needed to see her to tell her something important and he was worried that she was in danger. Laura said she would leave work early and meet him at the pub. Franco was waiting at a table when Laura arrived. She handed him a small orange and said that a colleague who had just returned from Spain brought some in to work and she knew how much he liked them. He said thank-you and put the orange in his pocket. Then before he could tell her about the false hospital records, her mobile rang. She took her phone out, looked at the caller name and instead of answering, she laid it on the table. Franco saw that the caller was Robbie Lewis. Two police officers arrived at their table. They said their orders were to take Dr. Hobson to the station for a formal interview, under caution, for obstructing a murder inquiry. Then one of the officers got a phone call and after that said the orders had been changed, that they were to take her into protective custody. Franco stood up ready to fight them off so she could escape when Laura told him it was okay, she would go with them. Franco watched them leave wondering what protective custody meant to the English police. He hoped they would keep her somewhere safe until the danger was over. Franco saw Laura's mobile phone on the table. He picked it up and put it in his pocket with the orange.

About an hour later Laura called Franco and told her she was using her landline phone at home as she must have left her mobile at the pub. Franco asked her what she was doing at her house; he thought she was in protective custody. Laura said that she was at home with a police constable on duty outside. It was Officer Williams, an older man nearing retirement, and that she had just brought him a cup of tea. That didn't sound like much protection to Franco and he told Laura that he was coming over. Laura said that she doubted whether Office Williams would allow him in the house; she still thought they were treating her as a suspect in the case. When he got to 117 Valdemar Close, Franco went around to the back of Laura's house and in through the door from the garden and called out her name. He still had the key she had given him a few years ago when he used to stay overnight. Franco went into the kitchen and found Laura making more tea. She asked him how he got past Officer Williams. Franco said he never saw a police officer in the front or back of the house. Then Dave called Franco to say that the twins could not be located. Alarmed that the twins and the policeman on watch were missing, Franco told Laura to run upstairs to her bedroom, lock the door and use the landline phone to call the police.

Laura didn't hesitate to follow Franco's request. As she rushed through the dining room Vince Corwin grabbed her. Franco burst into the room and Vince told him to stop or he would snap Laura's neck. Franco froze in place. Charlotte was standing beside Vince and Laura holding a wrench. Vince gently asked Charlotte to tie Laura's hands together behind her back and then tie her feet together. Charlotte put the wrench on the dining table and did as he asked. Franco still didn't move. Then Vince had Charlotte search Laura to see if she had a mobile phone on her. The phone was still in Franco's pocket; he had not returned it to her yet. Finding no phone, they pushed Laura into a chair at the table. Once Vince was no longer holding Laura by the neck Franco sprinted towards him and kicked him in the groin. Gasping for breath, Vince grabbed the wrench and bashed Franco on the head. Vince fell down after he swung at Franco. Despite the severe blow to his head, Franco took advantage of the few seconds that Vince was down to stagger to the dining table, grabbing first the table cloth, then Laura, and pulled them both down with him as he fell to the floor. He spoke softly to Laura in German and said "sag ihnen dass ich tot bin". While he did that, under cover of the table cloth, he quickly slid Laura's mobile inside the front of her jeans where her sweater would hide it and he put the orange under his arm. Laura told Vince and Charlotte, "He's dead". Vince didn't believe it and asked Charlotte to check his pulse. Charlotte went over to Franco on the floor, felt his wrist and said he had no pulse. Then Vince pulled Laura away from Franco and dragged her out to their van.

Franco lay on the floor barely able to move as Vince and Charlotte headed for their van with Laura. He tried to stand up and found that he was quite dizzy from the bash on his head. Fortunately there was no blood. He used his phone to call and ask Dave first to make a report to the police about the abduction of Dr. Laura Hobson from her home, then to come pick him up at Laura's house. Franco said to make sure and tell the police that Laura had her mobile phone with her. Dave used one of the disposable mobile phones that PIs keep to make anonymous calls to the police. Franco passed out for a few minutes then got up and made it outside as Dave was pulling up. Franco stumbled toward the car, got in and started working on getting a trace on Laura's mobile. Shortly after they drove off from Laura's house, Inspector Robbie Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway arrived.

Dave wanted to take Franco to the hospital for medical attention and was headed to the John Radcliffe to drop him off and then go on to find Laura. Franco said no, he would wait until they found Laura. It took Franco awhile to get the location of Laura's phone; it was at Holmwood Park Hospital. They sped off in that direction and entered the grounds from the back access road. When they got there Franco found he couldn't stand up and Dave ran on ahead to find Laura. Franco thought he could hear shouting and it seemed like an eternity until Dave returned with the news that Laura was safe; the twins had put her in a grave but a rescuer was with her while uniformed police and medical personnel were on the way. In his semi conscious state, Franco said that it must be Robbie Lewis down there with her and Dave said no, it was someone else; Inspector Lewis was chasing the twins into the abandoned hospital building. Franco couldn't believe that Lewis wasn't with Laura. At least she is alive, thought Franco. Dave drove Franco to the nearest hospital and dropped him off at the A and E entrance. Franco went in alone and not wanting any connection to the case, said that he did not know what happened to him. Then he passed out again; he actually had a very severe head injury and it was pure adrenaline that had kept him going until he knew Laura was safe.

The next morning Sergeant James Hathaway was talking with Laura in her hospital room. James told her it was very lucky that she had her phone with her so that they could trace her whereabouts. He said most killers would make sure that their victim did not have a mobile on them. Laura was confused, her memory of the events weren't clear. Laura thought she remembered that someone had searched her to make sure that she did not have her mobile. She couldn't recall how her mobile ended up in the front of her jeans. Then Robbie walked into her hospital room carrying a huge bouquet of red roses. Laura's eyes filled with tears thinking of Robbie's thoughtfulness and softly said "Thank-you". Robbie told her the flowers weren't from him; they were delivered to the nurses' station and someone asked him to bring them down to her room. He pulled off the card and she opened it. It said "Freundschaft und Liebe, F". Laura smiled, thinking of Franco.

Later when she was alone, Laura called Franco, not knowing he was also in hospital, to thank him for the flowers. She figured he did not come to see her in the hospital because he did not want to have to talk to any police officers. Franco said he was relieved to find out that she was alive and well. Laura told him about her ordeal saying that she did not remember everything that had happened. The most puzzling thing was that her mobile phone somehow ended up in the front of her jeans. She said having the phone with her probably saved her life. Franco didn't want her to feel she owed him anything so he told her she must have a guardian angel. He said not to talk about the events of the past week; they would talk about happier things after she got some rest. Franco also needed rest; had Laura been her usual self, she would have noticed from his voice that something was wrong with him.

A few days later Franco was late in getting to Ligeia Willard's funeral as he had just been released from the hospital. He arrived in time to see Laura walking off with Robbie, arm in arm.

Eventually, with the help of a counselor, Laura would reconstruct what happened the night she was nearly buried alive. She remembered Franco speaking to her in German, asking her to say that he was dead, while he slipped the phone into her jeans. Then she smiled as she recalled the old magician's trick of squeezing an orange under your armpit in order to temporarily stop your pulse. Laura sent Franco a letter and wrote, "Sie sind ein Magier; and thank-you for being my guardian angel".

Franco would return to Oxford again both for work and to see Laura.

**Author Note: I haven't used my German since I was in West Germany in 1975 so please accept my apology for any errors.**

**Denn die Toten reiten schnell: For the dead ride fast **

**Sag ihnen dass ich tot bin: Tell them I am dead**

**Freundschaft und Liebe: Friendship and Love**

**Sie sind ein Magier****: You are a magician**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Mind has Mountains-Laura feels guilty about seeing Franco**

In the year after Laura was nearly buried alive Franco called her several times to see how she was doing. Franco remembered arriving late to Ligeia Willard's funeral just in time to see Laura walking off with Robbie Lewis, arm in arm. He assumed that they must be a couple by now although Laura never said anything about it. Franco called his private investigator friend Dave in Oxford and asked if there was any change in the relationship between Laura Hobson and Robbie Lewis. Dave said that by all accounts they were still just friends, no relationship upgrade. Franco had difficulty believing that things hadn't moved along with those two. He still thought about Laura and missed her.

On his next trip to Oxford, Franco called Laura and asked her to have dinner with him. He said there was something important he wanted to talk to her about. She agreed to see him and was looking forward to it. She and Robbie had remained friends and it didn't look like they would ever be more than that. Robbie shared the news with her that he was going to be a grandfather and she was very pleased for him. He was also considering taking advantage of the generous early retirement scheme currently being offered. Laura congratulated him and was genuinely happy to see him happy. She also knew it could mean big changes for Robbie. First time grandparents were often so besotted with the new baby that they retired from work and moved hundreds of miles away to be on hand for all of the important milestones. And it frequently meant less time and attention paid to old friends.

Franco and Laura were having dinner together catching each other up on their lives when James Hathaway entered the restaurant to pick up a takeaway. Hathaway noticed that Dr. Hobson was there with a date when he looked in a mirror hanging on the wall behind the pick-up area. He turned to wave and Laura tentatively waved back. Surprisingly she felt exposed as if she had been caught cheating. Franco noticed the tall blond man waving to Laura and asked who he was. Laura said he was a colleague and then tried to steer Franco back to their conversation. Franco told Laura that his firm was considering transferring him back to Oxford permanently and he would consider it if they could get back together. He preferred living in Germany but would move to be with her. And he told her that even though he was still searching for Nadine, the lost love of his youth, he would not abandon Laura for her should she ever be found. He asked her to think it over then give him an answer. Laura was lonely and convinced that not only was she not going to have an intimate relationship with Robbie, she may also lose him completely as he moved on to the next phase of his life. She told Franco she would think about it and then asked him to spend the night with her. At that moment Laura felt that just because she couldn't receive love from the person who was meant to love her it didn't mean that she shouldn't look for it somewhere else.

The next morning while working a crime scene at Beaumont College, Laura avoided looking Robbie in the eye. She spoke to him in a clipped tone and pretended not to notice when he held out a hand to help her up from the area by the corpse. She was sure that Hathaway told him he saw her having dinner with Franco. Laura was angry with Robbie because she felt guilty about looking for love somewhere else. She tried to make herself think rationally about her indignation. And then her feelings softened and she felt Robbie was owed an explanation even though they had never…and might never…

A few days later after a post mortem discourse Laura asked Robbie if he had a minute to talk to her. She tried to explain about Franco and found it difficult to speak in complete sentences. Robbie thanked her for telling him; she wouldn't see his jealous reaction later. As Laura watched him walk away she knew she hurt him. That was the worst part, it hurt to hurt him. Laura knew that she did love Robbie because she kept on doing it even though he might never be able to love her back. There weren't any instructions about how to fall in love with your best friend without messing everything up.

Laura saw Franco the next day and said she couldn't get back together with him. It wouldn't be fair for her to use him as a substitute for what she couldn't have. Laura explained to him that she was in love with Robbie Lewis and couldn't make the same promise that he made, that she would stay with Franco if her long lost love was ever found. That's how she thought of Robbie, a long lost love. She was wrong to think that she could look for love somewhere else. Franco said he understood; he didn't tell her that he had always known she loved Robbie.

Not usually a violent man, Franco felt like there were times he could strangle Robbie Lewis, or at least shake some sense into the man for leaving Laura alone in a love affair meant for two.

When the case was over, Laura apologized to Robbie although what for exactly she never said. Robbie seemed to know and then said that she didn't have to be sorry, that it wasn't as if they…

**The Gift of Promise-Franco encourages Laura to follow her heart**

Before Franco left Oxford to go back to Germany he went to see Laura. As her friend and former lover he wanted her to be happy. He encouraged her to tell Robbie how she felt, that there was nothing worse than wanting something and not doing anything about getting it. Franco gently told her not to waste her life in love not given, not to have regrets.

A few days later Laura called Franco and told him that she had invited Robbie to her house for dinner the next Friday.

**Franco is now a Robson shipper. He's going to have an exercise in frustration. **


End file.
